Bright Note for Obama in Gallup Numbers

For the first time since July, Gallup’s daily tracking poll shows those who approve of President Barack Obama’s job performance edge out those who disapprove, by a 47% to 45% margin.

That’s still within the three-percentage-point margin of error, but it represents a notable uptick from October, when Mr. Obama hit bottom with a 38% approval rating and 54% disapproval. The latest results, released Monday, come from Gallup’s polling on Dec. 21 through Dec. 23.

Mr. Obama started his term with approval near 70% and went quickly down from there. Most recent polls show the country roughly split on his job performance. The latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News survey, conducted in December, found those disapproving slightly ahead, at 48% to 46%.

The economy in 2012 is likely to sway Mr. Obama’s fate in his fall re-election campaign, and there he still has far to go before winning an edge among voters. The WSJ-NBC poll found 39% of Americans approve of Mr. Obama’s handling of the economy, with 57% disapproving.